Lesson 14 The Butterfly Effect蝴蝶效应

The Butterfly Effect

butterfly ^{蝴蝶；蝶泳；举止轻浮的人；追求享乐的人}

• She is known as a social butterfly^{社交蝴蝶（指举止轻浮或追求享乐的人）}.
• The children chased a beautiful yellow butterfly^蝴蝶 in the garden.
• He is an expert in the butterfly^蝶泳 stroke.

have butterflies (in one’s stomach) ^忐忑不安

• It was the morning of the World Cup Final and most of the players had butterflies (in their stomach)^忐忑不安.
• I always have butterflies^{感到忐忑不安} before a major presentation.
• She confessed to having butterflies in her stomach^忐忑不安 before her wedding.

chaos theory ^混沌理论

• Chaos theory^混沌理论 suggests that small changes in initial conditions can lead to large-scale and unpredictable variation in the future state of the system.
• The Butterfly Effect^蝴蝶效应 is a frequent metaphor for one aspect of chaos theory.
• The principle illustrates how minor initial differences can be amplified, leading to widely diverging outcomes.

Beyond two or three days, the world's best weather forecasts are speculative, and beyond six or seven they are worthless.

Beyond two or three days ^{超过了两三天}

• Beyond two or three days^{超过了两三天}, the world's best weather forecasts are speculative.

speculative ^{推测性的；投机的}

• ...the world's best weather forecasts are speculative^{是推测性的}...

worthless / valueless / useless / of no earthly use ^{没有价值的}

• ...and beyond six or seven they are worthless^{毫无价值的}.

The Butterfly Effect is the reason.

reason for / behind ^{背后的原因}

• The Butterfly Effect is the reason for^{蝴蝶效应是其背后的原因} / behind it.
• What is the reason for^{背后的原因是什么} his sudden departure?
• She explained the reason behind^{背后的原因} her decision.

表达“是...的原因” ^同义替换

For small pieces of weather -- and to a global forecaster, small can mean thunderstorms and blizzards -- any prediction deteriorates rapidly.

mean ^{导致、意味着...}

• ...small can mean thunderstorms and blizzards^{小的可以指雷暴和暴雪}...
• The merger will mean the eventual closure of the company’s Shanghai Office^{将意味着公司上海办事处的最终关闭}.
• This delay will mean a lot of extra work^{将意味着大量的额外工作} for everyone.

deteriorate ^{恶化，变坏}

• ...any prediction deteriorates rapidly^{任何预测都会迅速恶化}.

Errors and uncertainties multiply, cascading upward through a chain of turbulent features, from dust devils and squalls up to continent-size eddies that only satellites can see.

multiply ^{（使）大幅增加}

• Errors and uncertainties multiply^{错误和不确定性大幅增加}...
• Within the last 10 years, both sales and profits have multiplied^大幅增加.
• Smoking multiplies the risk of heart attacks^{成倍增加了心脏病发作的风险}.

大幅增加 ^近义词

一连串的 ^近义词组

feature ^特征

• ...a chain of turbulent features^湍流特征...
• The house has many appealing features^{吸引人的特征}.
• The climate is a key feature^关键特征 of this region.

from A up to B ^{从A一直到B}

• ...from dust devils and squalls up to continent-size eddies^{从尘卷风和飑线一直到大陆尺度的涡流}...
• The survey covers everyone from teenagers up to the elderly^{从青少年一直到老年人}.
• The prices range from $10 up to $100^{从10美元一直到100美元}.

The modern weather models work with a grid of points of the order of 60 miles apart, and even so, some starting data has to be guessed, since ground stations and satellites cannot see everywhere.

work ^{（指机器、设备等）运作，运转}

• The modern weather models work with a grid of points^{使用一个点阵网格来运作}...
• This machine works by electricity^{靠电力运作}.
• The delete key doesn't work^不起作用.

grid ^{（地图上的）坐标方格}

• The models work with a grid^网格 of points...
• The city has streets laid out on a grid pattern^{街道按网格模式布置}.
• We located the position on the grid^坐标方格.

of / in / on the order of... / in the neighborhood / vicinity of... / approximately ^{大约、大概}

• ...a grid of points of the order of 60 miles apart^{大约相隔60英里}...

starting / initial / incipient / opening / preliminary ^最初的

• ...some starting data^{一些初始数据} has to be guessed...

But suppose the earth could be covered with sensors spaced one foot apart, rising at one-foot intervals all the way to the top of the atmosphere.

space ^{将...均匀隔开}

• ...with sensors spaced one foot apart^{间隔一英尺}...
• Bean plants should be spaced three inches apart^{应该间隔三英寸}.
• The columns are spaced evenly^均匀间隔 along the wall.

interval ^{间隔时间；间隔空间}

• ...rising at one-foot intervals^{以一英尺的间隔上升}...
• The show has an interval^{中场休息时间} of 15 minutes.
• They planted trees in the intervals^间隔空间 between the houses.

all the way ^一直...

• ...rising at one-foot intervals all the way to the top of the atmosphere^{一直上升到大气层顶部}.
• He ran all the way home^{他一路跑回家}.
• The noise could be heard all the way down the street^{在整条街上都能听到}.

Suppose every sensor gives perfectly accurate readings of temperature, pressure, humidity, and any other quantity a meteorologist would want.

reading ^读数

• ...gives perfectly accurate readings^读数 of temperature...
• The nurse took the patient's vital readings^{生命体征读数}.
• We need to take the meter reading^查表 before leaving.

Precisely at noon an infinitely powerful computer takes all the data and calculates what will happen at each point at 12.01, then 12.02, then 12.03...

Precisely at noon ^正午时分

• Precisely at noon^正午时分 an infinitely powerful computer takes all the data...

infinite ^{无限的，无穷的；无数的；极大的}

• ...an infinitely powerful^{无限强大的} computer...
• The universe is infinite^无限的.

calculate ^计算

• ...and calculates^并计算 what will happen at each point...

The computer will still be unable to predict whether Princeton, New Jersey, will have sun or rain on a day one month away.

unable to do sth. ^{不能做某事}

• The computer will still be unable to predict^{仍然不能预测} whether Princeton, New Jersey, will have sun or rain...
• The team was unable to score^不能得分 in the second half.
• I was unable to attend^不能出席 the conference due to illness.

predict ^预测

• It is difficult to predict^预测 the outcome of the match.
• Meteorologists can predict the weather^预测天气 with some degree of accuracy.

At noon the spaces between the sensors will hide fluctuations that the computer will not know about, tiny deviations from the average.

fluctuations ^{波动，起伏}

• The spaces between the sensors will hide fluctuations^波动...
• We observed constant fluctuations in the stock market^{股市中的不断波动}.
• Temperature fluctuations^温度波动 can affect the experiment's results.

deviations from the average ^{与平均值的偏差}

• ...tiny deviations from the average^{与平均值的微小偏差}.
• Any deviation from the standard procedure^{与标准程序的偏差} must be reported.
• The quality control checked for deviations from the norm^{与标准的偏差}.

By 12.01, those fluctuations will already have created small errors one foot away.

already have created ^{已经造成了（将来完成时）}

• ...those fluctuations will already have created small errors^{将已经造成了小的错误} one foot away.
• By next month, I will already have finished^{将已经完成} the entire project.
• By the time he arrives, they will already have left^{将已经离开了}.

Soon the errors will have multiplied to the ten-foot scale, and so on up to the size of the globe.

multiplied ^大幅增加

• ...the errors will have multiplied^{将大幅增加} to the ten-foot scale...

scale ^{程度、规模、范围}

• ...to the ten-foot scale^{十英尺的规模}, and so on up to the size of the globe.

and so on / and so forth / etc. / and the like / and what not ^等等

• ...to the ten-foot scale, and so on^等等 up to the size of the globe.